Butterflies swirled lazily inside my stomach as I walked with Biggs around the fort, and my eyes kept going back to him. He looked a little more stubbly than usual, but that was probably because like the rest of us, he'd been on the road for a while. But I thought it actually added to his manly charm a little, made him look more rugged and attractive. It surprised me that I could finally admit to myself that I liked him a lot, that maybe—just maybe—I was even beginning to fall for him. It made my heart skip a beat to even think it.
Maybe it was just seeing him again after the time we'd spent apart that was making me feel like this, but either way, it was nice. And Biggs was a really good tour guide, too. Much like when was cleaning, he was very thorough and detailed, taking me to see every part of the fortress, from the courtyard where we'd reunited to the main and mess halls on the first floor along with the barracks in the back and the offices on the second level. The officers' quarters were also there.
Biggs told me about the revolt as well. Originally, there had been a half dozen officers stationed here altogether, but nearly all of them had been killed in the battle over control of the fortress. Only Edwyn, who had been a junior lieutenant and fourth in the chain of command, had survived. He was a good man, and although he led his men with a firm hand, he genuinely cared about them and wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty. When we had left the courtyard, he'd been helping to unload the supplies Drake had brought from South Argen.
Edwyn had promoted a few of his men not long after the fight, and they were the ones using most of the officers' quarters now along with him and his father. Only one of the rooms had been vacant, and at the end of Jessie's first day here, Edwyn had offered to let her use it instead of sleeping in the barracks. She'd refused at first, wanting to be with the others rather than by herself, but Biggs and Lena had convinced her to take it. The main barracks weren't that far from there anyway, as Biggs had shown me. Just downstairs and in the back.
He told me there were more underground in the caves, but he and the others were staying in the keep, and I figured that was where all the rest of us would be, too. Well, except for Cloud. I didn't have any doubt that Jessie would invite him to join her in her room upstairs during our stay, and I smiled to myself at the thought. She sure wasn't gonna mind then that she'd decided to accept Edwyn's offer.
After showing me the quartermaster's shop—it was upstairs above the main hall opposite Samuel's office—Biggs led me back down to the first floor, where we followed a short hallway off to the left and came to another, smaller room at the end of it. Two men stood guard here, one on either side of a wide set of stone stairs that curved downward and to the right into the caves. We followed them, our steps echoing loudly on the rock as we headed underground.
Biggs pointed at the soft yellow lights that had been mounted here and there along the walls. "No need for you to worry about getting lost down here in the dark, Tif. These people have been using the caves for extra storage space and shelter for years now."
"How far do they go?" I asked.
"For miles and miles underneath the fortress, the ravine, and even the reactor. Even without the lights, there's always a glow—you can see it better in some places than others. It's the mako, I think. This place is rich in it, from what Edwyn tells me."
I nodded. "That'd be why the reactor's here. It's kinda like the caves back on Mt. Nibel, only not spooky at all."
"Feels warm," he said. "Full of life, you know?
It did, and it was almost comforting in a way. "Yeah, it does. Makes sense why the condor would come here."
Biggs gazed up at the ceiling. "Right... but there's more."
"I can feel it, too," I agreed. "This place, it also has a wild edge to it. Dangerous, almost. It's good but... untamed."
"Like it could burn ya," he added.
"Exactly," I said.
Then he motioned to me. "This way, Tifa. Somethin' I wanna show ya before we head back up. It's not far."
"Sure," I agreed.
We went further into the caves, past the underground barracks, the storage rooms, and a few meeting areas with wooden tables and chairs and headed through a network of intersecting passages that descended deeper underground. After a few minutes, we entered a large chamber, and as we slowly came to a stop and looked at what was inside, I knew what Biggs had brought me here to see.
A mako fountain.
It was a little different from the one on Mt. Nibel, though. Within a cluster of low stalagmites surrounded by a pool of pale green mako sat a lump of brightly glowing crystal. But unlike the first one I'd seen five years ago, this one was red, filling the room with a soft crimson light. It was eerie yet beautiful at the same time.
"So pretty..." I murmured.
"Yeah," Biggs replied. "It's the heart of this place. We're right below the reactor now, I think. There's an exit to the outside not too far from here, and mako storage reaches all the way down to somewhere on the other side of these walls according to Edwyn."
I thought I understood. "So the heat the condor's using to warm its eggs comes as much from here as it does from the reactor. This place... it's helping them grow. We've gotta protect it."
He pumped his fist. "We will, Tifa. No doubt about it."
"Thanks for bringing me here," I told him.
"Sure," he nodded. "Guess we oughta head back and see the others, though. Still got a lot of work ahead of us."
I knew we did. "Right. Let's go."
He called to me as I started to leave. "Hey, Tifa..."
"Hmm?" I looked at him.
"I, uh... I missed you," Biggs admitted.
I smiled as butterflies floated lazily in my stomach. "Thanks, Biggs. I... I missed you, too. And I had a lot of fun seeing the sights with you today. You're a very good tour guide."
He flashed me a grin. "Happy to help, Tif."
"You always have been," I said, meaning every word of it.
"Just what friends do, right?" Biggs chuckled.
I could tell he was a little nervous, but that just made him so much more endearing. "Sure is. And you do it well."
"Well, thanks..." he said, scratching his head.
It looked like I'd actually made him blush just the tiniest little bit, if the faint touch of pink on his cheeks was anything to go by. That made me happy. I still didn't know how to tell him how I felt, though. I knew he was into me, but even so... it was still hard.
We made our way back through the caves and headed up the stairs to the first floor, then went outside again to rejoin Aerith, Red, and the others. They were still there when we came back—we'd only been gone for twenty minutes—but Cloud and Jessie hadn't come down from the wall just yet. Knowing her, she was probably still hard at work up there on those turrets. We didn't have to wait too long, though. Jessie spotted us from atop the stairs and waved, her face lighting up with a wide grin as she hurried right down to meet us.
"Hey, guys!" she called, Cloud only a few steps behind her.
I smiled and waved back at her. "Hi, Jessie!"
Aerith laughed. "There you are!"
"Tifa!" Jessie called, hopping off the bottom step and throwing her arms around me in a tight hug. "I missed you!"
I returned her embrace gladly. "Same here, big sister."
She chuckled. "That's you, too."
"Staying outta trouble?" Aerith teased.
"Ha!" Jessie smirked, eagerly hugging her next. "You wish! And I'm betting you've seen your share of it, too."
She giggled. "True enough."
Then Barret took her place, wrapping his arms around Jessie. "Hey, Jessie. Really good to see ya! You lookin' a whole helluva lot better now than ya did when we left. I was worried 'boutcha."
"I'm alright, Barret," Jessie assured him. "Thanks. And by the way, Marlene sends her love. She misses you."
He looked away for just a moment, then laid his good hand gently on her shoulder. "Means a lot to me to hear that, girl. I really 'ppreciate you tellin' me. Jus' made my whole day."
Jessie smiled, then let go and took Aerith's hands in hers. "And I've got a message from your mom, too. She loves you."
"Thank you, Jessie," Aerith said, her voice not quite steady.
She hugged her again. "Anytime, Aerith."
Then Red padded up to her. "Well met again, Jessie. I'm glad to see you looking well and fully recovered."
"Thanks, Red," she replied, lightly patting his nose.
As Jessie stepped back, Aerith grinned approvingly and gave her a thumbs up. "Loving the new look! It really fits you!"
Jessie grinned. "Like a glove!"
"Lookin' pretty badass there, Jessie!" Barret laughed.
"I'll say!" I agreed. "Where'd you get it?"
She chuckled. "Long story, I'll tell you later. Much as I'd love to just chat and catch up for a while, we'd better get moving."
Cloud nodded. "What's the situation?"
Jessie looked at him. "We'll go over all that upstairs in the fort. But in a nutshell, Shinra's forces'll be here by nightfall. And we're still badly outnumbered. So we've gotta get ready."
"Then we don't have much time," I said, tightening my gloves.
"Right," she agreed. "Biggs and I have a plan, though."
Barret pumped his fist. "Knew you guys'd be on top of it. We gonna kick some Shinra ass tonight!"
"What did you have in mind, Jessie?" Red asked.
"Come with us and we'll explain," she answered. Then she glanced at Lena and Yuffie. "You two, get going. Now that they're getting close, Shinra's bound to send a small advance force to scout out our defenses and report back. We've gotta know where they are."
Lena adjusted the pair of hi-tech goggles that she wore right above her eyes. "We're on it, Jessie. See ya soon!"
"We'll be back before ya know it!" Yuffie added.
Then they left, hurrying through the main gate while the rest of us headed into the fort. Edwyn joined us on the way, and even though the battle wouldn't start until after dark, I could feel my blood pumping at the thought of it. My friends and I were finally together again, all of us, and we'd protect this place no matter what.
— — — — — — —
A few minutes later, we were all in Samuel's office standing around the conference table, gazing at a large map of the ravine and the entire hillside including the fortress complex. Biggs and I had introduced the rest of our friends to Samuel when we'd arrived up here, and now it was time to for us to get down to business.
I looked at everyone. "Okay, guys. Let's get started."
"Right, Jessie," Biggs nodded, taking over. "As soon as we got here, we had Lena and Yuffie find the location of Shinra's staging area. They did, and since then, we've been conducting hit-and-run attacks during the night, trashing their mechs and supplies."
"Softens 'em up and keeps 'em off guard," Cloud noted.
I glanced at him. "Exactly. And because of that, they've been forced to begin their attack sooner than they'd planned. Shinra was originally gonna send a whole legion against us—a thousand men, machines, and monsters altogether—but we've managed to whittle that down through our raids and collapsing the main tunnel they were using to get troops through the mountains from Midgar."
"How many do they have left?" Red asked.
"Not counting the advance force, which is probably only fifty or so, we're looking at about six hundred," I answered. "Mostly ground troops and grunts as well as guard dogs and bloodhounds, but they've still got some mechs, too. Sweepers, cutters, moth slashers, and slug-rays. They also have about fifty cerulean drakes."
Cloud folded his arms in front of him. "It'll be a ground assault for the most part, then. Straight in for the gate."
"Pretty much," Biggs agreed. "That and the outer wall are made of metal and are several feet thick, but Shinra's got a lot of firepower even with how much we've been able to whittle down their numbers. They'll do all they can to bust their way through."
"Which brings us to the Grandhorn," I said.
Tifa blinked. "What's that?"
"Another of Scarlet's toys," I grimaced. "Think of an armored shock trooper, but bigger, tougher, and strong enough to punch through plate steel. That's how Shinra's gonna try to get in here. It'll rip the gate apart if we don't stop it. And that won't be easy."
"But if we can destroy it, that'll cripple their chances of breaking in and really sink their morale," Biggs added.
Barret grinned. "That thing's good as trashed!"
"That's the plan!" I smirked. "I've also been working on something for you, Barret. An upgrade, you might say. Still gotta make a few final adjustments first, but it should be ready in time for the battle. Think of it as a belated birthday gift from me to you."
"Thanks, girl," he smiled, patting my shoulder. "I damn near forgot 'bout that with all that's happened lately."
Aerith blinked. "Wait, what? Your birthday?"
Barret nodded. "Yeah. Was 'bout a month ago, 'round the time the plate fell. Ain't really important, though."
"That's not true," she told him. "And after we've sent Shinra's forces packing, I'm gonna see to it that we throw you a little party! We oughta let ourselves have a little fun while we can."
"I think that's a great idea," Tifa agreed. "I'll help!"
I grinned. "Same here!"
Barret scratched his head. "Uh, I 'ppreciate the thought, ladies, but ain't we got other things to worry 'bout? Like Sephiroth an' Shinra? We still gotta go after 'em an' save the planet."
"We will, but we can do this, too," Aerith insisted.
Cloud just shook his head. "Don't bother trying to talk them out of it, Barret. You know how stubborn they are."
He gave in. "Yeah, I do... guess I ain't got no choice."
"None whatsoever!" I teased.
"Anyway..." Biggs said. "Back to the battle. Shinra won't send in the Grandhorn right away. They'll try to wear us down first with the rest of their forces. So we gotta hold out 'till it shows."
Edwyn continued. "Everything should be in place and ready by the time Shinra gets here. But we still need to decide where to set up those automated sentries. We have four of them."
Biggs tapped two places on the map. "Here and here. First pair up at the mouth of the ravine, one on each side to let us know the moment Shinra arrives and give 'em a little greeting."
"An early warning system," Cloud nodded, understanding.
"Right," he agreed. "Second pair goes here, about halfway in. Same as before, one on each side. Jessie's got a couple surprises up her sleeve to slow down Shinra's forces once they get here, and these'll be set up a short distance past one of her big ones."
Tifa looked at me. "What kind of surprises?"
"Oh, you know me," I winked. "The loud and flashy kind."
"Should've guessed," she chuckled.
Biggs went on. "Yeah. And we've also got two anti-aircraft cannons as well. Oughta help against those drakes."
"Where are we putting them?" Cloud asked.
"On the front of the roof, one at each corner," Biggs answered. "We can't stop the drakes from flying over the wall, but we'll have these guys waiting for 'em. They've got good range, a wide firing angle, and really kick ass. Jessie could tell you the specifics, but I think you get the idea. And they'll help against any choppers, too."
Tifa pursed her lips in thought. "That's good, but... what about the back of the hill? Couldn't Shinra come at us from that way as well? Hit us from behind as well as in front?"
"No, that side's way too steep for anyone to climb," he said. "Part of the reason why the fort and reactor were built here."
Although I agreed that an attack from that side wasn't very likely, I couldn't help but feel as if we were overlooking something. Biggs and I had carefully gone over the whole fortress the first day we were here as Edwyn had shown us around after introducing us to Samuel. We'd seen it all, from the fort's interior to the caves, the courtyard, ravine, and the hillside itself. I was confident we'd taken everything into account when we'd planned our defense, but still, I felt uneasy.
Maybe it was just the mako fountain. When Edwyn had showed it to me and Biggs the other day, I'd felt drawn to it somehow, almost as if something within that lump of reddish crystal was calling to me. There hadn't been a voice but definitely a presence, a wordless whisper in the back of my mind. Good and strong but wild at the same time. It didn't scare me, really, but it was a little weird.
Cloud went on. "One other thing. Before the rest of us got here, we ran into the Turks back in the mines. They'll be here, too. Dunno when or how, but they'll show sooner or later."
"My father, too," I added. "They'll probably wait for the Grandhorn to break through the gate to make their move."
"All the more reason to take it down fast," he agreed.
Biggs tapped another spot on the map. "We've also been setting up tripwires throughout the ravine between lots of these boulders. They'll be connected to a bunch of traps Jessie's thought up—hidden catapults, covered pits, that sorta thing. Between that and the rest of what she has out there, it should help cut Shinra's numbers and even the odds for us a bit by the time they make it to the wall."
He and Edwyn had both liked my idea of rigging the ravine with a lot of traps and surprises to wear down Shinra's forces, so over the past two days, we'd had some of the men out there getting them all in place. I'd helped when I could, but I'd also been working on improving all the weapons, turrets, and other defenses for the fort.
Just then, Lena and Yuffie hurried inside, back from their scouting mission. We all turned to look as they joined us, eagerness in their eyes as they took their places around the conference table. I could tell they'd gotten the information we needed. And with it we could plan our next move to intercept Shinra's forward scouts.
"You found what you were looking for?" I asked.
Lena nodded. "Yeah. By now, the advance force is about an hour or so away from here. About fifty altogether, just like you thought, Jessie. I was able to get a good look at them while we were out there. There are some soldiers—I'd say about a third of the group—but the rest of them are just mechs and grunts of different kinds."
Yuffie glanced at her. "Don't forget about those two big guys, Lena. The armored soldiers on their big red lizards."
"Devil riders," Edwyn said. "They prowl through the badlands and prey upon anyone they can find. Not surprising that Shinra would find a way to use them. They're pretty strong."
"Not strong enough," Cloud said, his blue eyes glowing.
I met his firm gaze. "Right. Shinra sent the advance force ahead to test our defenses and report back. We can't let that happen. If we hurry, we can catch them before they get here."
"That would give us an advantage," Red noted.
"That's the idea," Biggs agreed. "If we pull this off, it'll force Shinra to attack us blind. They won't have a clue what to expect or what we've got in store for 'em. As far as they know right now, we don't really have anything we can stop 'em with. Easy pickings."
I had the same idea. "Exactly! Better to let them believe that for as long as we can. Handy little delusion, don'tcha think?"
Cloud saw it at once. "Surprise attack."
"Nailed it in one," I smirked. Then I looked at Lena and Yuffie. "So, did you find us a good spot for an ambush?"
Lena nodded. "About twenty minutes from here. They're marching right down the main road, which at one point goes in between two low mounds of rock big enough to hide behind."
Biggs rubbed his chin. "Half on one side, half on the other. Cloud, you stand out front and draw their attention."
"Done," he said.
"Then, as soon as they rush you, we'll spring out and attack," Biggs finished. "We'll be outnumbered, but if we can soften 'em up first with a few of Jessie's raspberries, that should cut down their numbers by the time we close in. Then we'll finish 'em off."
I smiled. "Awesome! Now all we need's a deck of cards."
"Alright, everyone," Cloud looked at us one by one. "Let's move like we've got a purpose. We don't have much time."
After Samuel and Edwyn had wished us luck, the rest of us headed out, ready to put the smackdown on Shinra. As we hurried downstairs and left the fortress, Tifa fell in beside me, flexing her gloved fingers as she got herself ready for the battle ahead.
"Been keeping up with your skills?" she asked.
"More than you know, Tifa," I smirked.
She nodded as we followed the others across the courtyard. "Good. Stay close to me, though, alright? These aren't slum thugs or eaters that we're gonna be fighting, Jessie. I'll look after you."
I chuckled. "Just try and keep up."
"Seriously, Tifa," Biggs grinned. "You have no idea."
"What do you mean?" she wondered.
I gave her a sly wink as we passed through the gate. "Oh, you'll see. This shiny new gear of mine isn't just for looks."
"How exciting!" Aerith giggled.
After we entered the ravine, Biggs and I took the lead, guiding the others past where the men were still setting up the tripwires and other traps. They were making good progress, and by the time Shinra did get here, everything would be ready and carefully hidden. Pits, explosives, catapults, even a handful of makeshift mines I'd cobbled together. Plus a few other little surprises as well. All in all, it was gonna make for one nice big painful welcoming gift for Shinra.
We turned the corner to the right only a few minutes later and left the ravine behind as we went north, staying off the road to avoid being seen before we wanted to be. Cloud and Lena joined me up front while Biggs fell slightly behind, ending up close to Tifa almost involuntarily. I couldn't help smiling a little but decided not to tease him about it—for now, anyway. Barret, who was stomping along quietly just behind him, noticed the new addition Biggs wore on back.
"Nice boomstick ya got there, Biggs," he chuckled.
He laughed as he reached over his shoulder and pulled it out of its brown leather harness. "Thanks, boss. Found it tucked away inside the fort's armory yesterday. Figured it'd come in handy."
It was a double-barreled shotgun, and as Biggs said the last words, he pumped it with a loud click. He still had his handgun, too. It was in its holster on the back of his belt same as always, and as Lena guided us to the spot where we'd be our springing our ambush, she drew her own guns, clicked back the hammers with her thumbs to release the safeties and get them ready. Barret nodded approvingly.
"Looks like you packin' some new heat, too," he said.
Lena nodded. "Yep. Like I said before, we've got a lot to tell you. So much has happened while we were apart."
"Same here!" Aerith agreed.
"We'll do some catching up later after this is all over," I added. "But for now, we've got a fortress to defend. Lena, we getting close? We gotta hurry if we wanna catch these guys in time."
"Right up here," she pointed.
Cloud slowed down and immediately swept his arm out to the side to shush us. "Alright, good. Keep it down from here, guys. Don't wanna give away our position. But stay frosty."
Ahead of us, the road curved to the left, and on either side of it lay the mounds of rock Lena had told us about. We all took our positions, quickly and quietly. Tifa, Aerith, Biggs, and I hid on the left side of the road while Barret, Yuffie, Lena, and Red crouched down on the right. I smirked as I watched Cloud stand calmly in the middle of the road, his arms folded in front of him and Buster on his back as he waited for the Shinra advance force to show up. Typical Cloud, always such a badass. I loved that about him, though. It was so hot.
Ready now, we braced ourselves to spring the trap.